Foothills Times January 2014 Vol 34 May 2014 | Page 46

with
with

HARVEST
HARVEST
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS

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arcus Roberts is one of the Modern Jazz Piano Masters. Mr. Roberts grew up in Jacksonville, Florida where his mother's gospel
singing and the church influenced his desire to pursue music. Marcus lost his sight when he was five years of age and began to teach
himself the piano a few years later. He had his first formal lessons at age twelve and eventually studied classical piano at Florida State
University. He has received many commissioning awards, including awards from Jazz at Lincoln Center, Chamber Music America, ASCAP, the
North Carolina Association of Educators, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Savannah Music Festival.
Let's now investigate the music of Marcus' most recent recording. This trio consists of Marcus Roberts playing the piano, with band mates
Rodney Jordan taking care of the bass chords and Jason Marsalis on the drums.
The first track, “On A Special Occasion”, commences with a bass solo by Rodney Jordan. The other members of the trio join in with precision
and compassion. “There's A Dance Tonight” brings the tempo of the suite just a taste; I can imagine folk dancing to this one. After all, you can
dance to Jazz music. The direction of the session moves to a more up tempo song, “The Spanish Tinge”. With this song, as well as the entire CD,
each member has his say with any one instrument occupying more space than the other.
“Playing Around” does have a playful theme to it. Jason Marsalis gets to showcase why he is one of the most talented drummers in Jazz today
with his solo. The next selection takes us to Louisiana. The trio puts a different spin on “A New Orleans Parade.” The title song is next, “From
Rags To Rhythm.” Mr. Roberts and company take us on a ride from one genre to another effortlessly and with skill. “On The Edge Of The
Unknown” has several tempos, but I was with them every note of the journey. As we continue through this suite music, “The Reservoir” has a lot
of depth. Along the way, Jason Marsalis has another fine drum solo which includes his brush work.
Marcus plays all by himself on “Gotta Play Your Own Song”; what a display of his talent. Next there's “The Duo” which is really a trio track,
listen as the three play as one. These gentlemen really swing! The studio gets really quiet as Marcus and Rodney interact with each other while
Jason sits out on “Under The Cover Of Darkness.” The project concludes with an up tempo song, “Search